1 1

Little Shop of Coral

Red Coris Wrasse (Coris gaimard)

Red Coris Wrasse (Coris gaimard)

$60.00 CAD
$60.00 CAD
Sale Sold out

The Juvenile Red Coris Wrasse is an absolute showstopper, with its bright red body and clean white spots that look almost painted on. It is a fast, curious hunter that spends the day cruising rockwork and sand, constantly searching for small inverts and leftover food. This fish grows into a large, powerful wrasse, so it is best suited for bigger, established systems and owners planning for its adult size and behaviour.

Why we love it

  • Unreal juvenile colour and patterning, one of the coolest “baby to adult” transformations

  • Active, always-hunting behaviour with tons of movement

  • Great personality and strong presence even as a juvenile

Suggested parameters

  • Temperature: 24–26°C (75–79°F)

  • Salinity: 1.024–1.026 SG

  • pH: 8.1–8.4

  • Alkalinity: 8–10 dKH

  • Ammonia/Nitrite: 0

  • Nitrate: Under 20 ppm (stable is best)

Care and temperament

  • Difficulty: Moderate

  • Temperament: Semi-aggressive (more aggressive as it grows)

  • Reef safe: No (will eat shrimp, crabs, snails, and many small inverts)

  • Minimum tank size: 125 gallons recommended for juveniles, 180+ gallons strongly recommended long-term

Sandbed requirement

Red Coris Wrasses sleep and feel secure by burying in sand.

  • Provide a soft sandbed at least 5–8 cm (2–3 in.) deep

  • Avoid sharp crushed coral that can injure the fish

  • Expect some sand moving as it digs and buries itself

Diet

A strong meaty diet helps growth and keeps it in great condition.

  • Frozen mysis, krill, and chopped shrimp

  • Chopped clam, squid, and quality seafood blends

  • High-quality pellets for carnivores (often accepted once settled)

  • Feed juveniles 1 to 2 times per day, then adjust as it grows

Compatibility and tankmates

  • Best with medium to large, confident fish

  • Avoid housing with ornamental shrimp and a delicate clean-up crew

  • Provide lots of rockwork for hunting, plus open swimming space

  • A tight-fitting lid is strongly recommended, wrasses can jump

Juvenile to adult change note

This listing is for a juvenile fish. As it matures, it will transition into the adult Coris pattern and colouration, becoming larger and more dominant. Expect significant changes over time.

What you are buying

  • You will receive: 1 Juvenile Red Coris Wrasse (Coris gaimard)

  • Juvenile patterning and size can vary between individuals

As with all fish, slow acclimation is recommended, and quarantine is encouraged when possible.

View full details

LIGHT

LOW: Place coral at the bottom of the tank. Depending on the type, coral may need to be placed off sand and therefore mounted on a ceramic disc of piece of rock.

MEDIUM: Place coral at mid-range of the tank. Best placed/glued on top of a rock scape at mid-range height. 

HIGH: Place coral from mid range to just below water level. SPS coral are shallow growing so they require and are able to tolerate intense light.

FLOW

LOW: Most soft coral do well with a small, gentle pulse. There are certain corals that can even be placed in areas of indirect flow, meaning places aside a rock structure or set into a entrance to a cave style space.

MEDIUM: Many LPS types of coral prefer medium pulse current. Most Euphyllia or corals that have more tissue structure connected to their skeleton, don’t like to be in a high flow area like the direct flow of the wave pump.

HIGH: Similar to high light, SPS enjoy being in some heavy current. Most LPS and SPS that branch encrust or plate prefer high flow that simulates the top water waves.

SKILL

ENTRY: While some may say beginner level, "Entry" is a good term to be used when starting out in the world of corals and marine life. Prior to adding livestock, you want to ensure that your reef has the proper parameters including zero levels of ammonia and nitrite. Seeing traces of nitrate in your waters is a good sign - just keep them at a lower level of 2ppm to 10ppm. Maintaining correct temperature and salinity are a huge factor to stable parameters. Starting to monitor your PH, alkalinity, calcium and magnesium is a great habit to get into to keep a successful reef.

While some soft coral don’t require too much light, having a proper reef light that puts out the proper pars is very important. You'll also want to have a good amount of flow and protected rock areas, as placing corals in their happy spot is ideal for success.

ADVANCED: